


Hunting Grounds

by Okumen



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Gen, Leo is Extra Tomatoes, Sandwiches!, and one of setsunas feh lines, i am not tagging the dks true identity because they are still kinda spoilers i guess?, inspired by my current grind team, setsuna is wonderful and i love her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 11:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20891432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okumen/pseuds/Okumen
Summary: Being on the same team as Setsuna for the first time is... an Experience.





	Hunting Grounds

"Oh look," they hear, their attention drawn toward their archer. "A butterfly."

It's not what the Death Knight expects to hear, and for a moments he wonders if that's some sort of Hoshidan code for enemies- fliers, perhaps. Pegasi were flitting around just as butterflies, on occasion, and the four of them are on the lookout for enemy scouts.

But the disinterested looks on Leo and Berukas faces tell a different story, and Beruka grasps Setsuna by the ribbon around her waist to stop her from heading off in whatever direction she, apparently, really had seen a butterfly.

The Death Knight is a new addition to this party, as he was also a new arrival to the Order. On top of that, it seemed these three came from the same world, whereas the Death Knight was from one completely different from theirs. 

But the difference in worlds doesn't matter; it's that he's not used to Setsuna apparently being distracted by shiny things - so to speak - and things like animals and bugs. And it distracted her away from their actual task.

"She is like that," Leo says, as if he is able to read the Death Knights thoughts or hidden expression. "Setsuna, I mean." Perhaps he only noticed that the stare that the Death Knight now turns to Leo was directed for a long while toward Setsuna. They are a newly formed squad, and thus they should be unfamiliar with his cues. Leo shrugs, adjusts his cape. "She is a bit strange."

"And gone," the Death Knight points out. Suddenly, too. As is Beruka, though her wyvern is still there. Leo looks around, and he sighs, and pinches and rubs the bridge of his nose. "She's worse than Felicia," he mutters. Felicia, if the Death Knight recalled correctly, was one of the maids summoned to the castle. A very clumsy creature, as far as he was aware, and yet somehow supposedly useful, though he had yet to understand how.

Leo moves toward the wyvern, which headbutts him once near enough. The Death Knight sees Leo wobble from the strength, though the wyvern seem to have intended it as a gentle nudge. At least, perhaps it did. The Death Knight wouldn't know; such things as gentleness is foreign to him. Then for some reason Leo turns his gaze up, and when the Death Knight looks as well, he sees the spotted pattern of pale fur and leather.

When the Death Knight looks more closely - and to do so he has to step nearer - he sees that within the foliage, Setsuna and Beruka are pressed together, wrapped in a solid net. A trap, set by someone either looking to catch game, or to catch foe. "Do you need help?" Leo asks. Beruka sends what amounts to a dark glare of irritation for her toward Leo, and keeps filing away at the rope with a huffed, "What do you _think_." Beneath her, Setsuna looks perfectly comfortable, as if she is about to fall asleep with her arms wrapped around the other, much more irritable, woman.

"If they wish to remain bound, let them perish." He directs the words toward Leo, though Beruka is the one who reacts on it. "Watch who you direct your words at, because I'll willingly put a blade through your throat," she growls. Leo rubs a hand over his face. Setsuna has started to hum some unintelligible song. The Death Knight is not unfazed by the threat. However, it is with the desire to fight that he looks at the woman. "Beruka, please," Leo mutters. Beruka huffs, and then with a snap she falls, and lands smoothly on her feet. Setsuna, not so gracefully landing on the ground, sits up with an "aww" and peers quizzically at Beruka. "But it was comfortable." Beruka opts to ignore her, while Leo on the other hand offers her a hand up.

Three minutes later the prince is crouched on the ground, offering Setsuna a hand once more, this time to pull her out of a pitfall.

Another fifteen minutes later the woman has to be cut down where she hangs unbothered from one foot in a tree.

Some minutes later she has to be fished out of the river.

"What is this," the Death Knight wonders, while he watches Beruka cut free Setsuna from a tangle of ropes. Leo, still a gentleman though a ruffled one, still offers Setsuna his hand as he glances over toward the Death Knight. It's Beruka, however, who grumbles, "Any squad with Setsuna in it is the trap detection squad, didn't you realize this yet?"

"I'm still hungry," Setsuna interjects, either not hearing or not minding the insult. Her hunger was what had evidently caught her in this most recent trap, rigged by a bush of berries. "You could have just said so in the first place. We do have provisions." Leo hands her a kerchief-wrapped sandwich, which Setsuna happily bites down on. "You spoil her," the Death Knight says, an objection to rewarding her proneness to getting caught in traps with what got her caught in the first place. "At some point she will really be trapped by enemies, and I will not help her."

"That's fine," Setsuna says, though it seems like she is pouting around her mouthful of sandwich. She seems complacent, calm. He has not seen any other attitude on her thus far. "Prince Leo and Beruka help."

"So you're not going to fight on your own." Beruka sounds annoyed, and of course, it's natural that she would, with a comment like that. Apparently, Setsuna doesn't entirely agree, as she tips her head sideways and looks at Beruka. "I'm the trap magnet, so that's your job." Oh! Maybe we don't have to deal with traps if I'm not on the ground. I'll go this way, then."

After licking her fingers clean and brushing crumbs off her apron, Setsuna jumps into a tree. With more agility than the Death Knight had expected. But he had heard rumour that she in reality is the retainer of a warrior princess. If that is true, then one would suppose that she was at least a little bit capable in battle.

Not even a minute later they see Setsuna get caught in another trap, and she is somehow tied to the branch above the one which she had stepped on.

"What if I ride Snowball?" she then suggests. "Snowball?" Who in the world is snowball? All three of them seemed to be equally unknowing. Until Setsunas foot hooks into the Death Knights horses stirrup, and she swings up onto the large beast. The Death Knight is too thrown aback by her sudden action to stop her, and she should be grateful that he's holding the reins because the horse is temperamental toward other riders, and has thrown off some of the best.

But Ravenwing, the Death Steed, calmly doesn't care that a rider that's not the Death Knight sits on her back, and the Death Knight would have assumed that the horse hadn't even noticed she was there due to her being a light person, except she pats the horse on the shoulder. "Such a good girl, Snowball, you're adorable." How is this happening at all.

And how is she despite everything still getting caught in traps.


End file.
